Basket Case

Yes, yes this is a double entendre. I love baskets and I am a bit of a basket case. This post is about baskets but I won't leave you hanging so I will elaborate about my crazy.

I am a bit of a neat freak, you will hardly ever find clutter in my house for longer than a day. I also know where to find any given item in my house at any given time and I know where our things 'belong' and in what 'order' they belong. For example I keep my baking pans and cutting boards stored together in a large to small fashion and if and when they are out of order I become uneasy and have to fix them asap. Does anyone else have a freakish neat person inside of them?

This one will shock you if you have been reading my health posts... I love mayonnaise. I love it so much, I can find a way to put it on anything and I love it as a dipping sauce. Yes, I know, mayonnaise is horrible for you, but that's just me, I love it. Do you have a secret kind of gross thing that you love? Something you don't openly share in public?

Maybe because I am a bit of a basket case is the reason why I love the look of baskets so much. I find so many uses for baskets around the house and they look so stylish. I like to get my baskets at Homegoods since they are often cheaper than their online look a likes. I have rounded up some fun and interesting uses for baskets around the house as well as some pretty baskets from home decor websites. Enjoy!

Baskets for Plants
The look of a basket instead of a planter is a little bohemian and can add warmth to a room. We have a plant in a basket in our home office, it's a neutral tone, beige and white which keeps the focus on the pretty plant. Our office had been a bit too serious looking but after adding the plant in the basket it seemed to lighten the mood and warm up our space. Here are three baskets I think would look lovely accenting a plant, one, two and three.

Baskets for Hiding Wires
Low and wide baskets are great for hiding wires. They are actually the lazy person's answer to hiding wires because you can put the basket below an electrical outlet and let all the wires just gather in the basket. No need to organize them or to keep them neat or separate, just throw them all and and walk away. We have a basket gathering our office wires (which are a lot) underneath our the desk keeping them hidden, here are some baskets similar to the one we use; one, two and three.
Image Via: Burlap and Lace

Baskets for Blankets and Pillows
This is one of my favorite uses for baskets. It is such an inviting look to have a basket full of blankets and/ or pillows in a room, almost asking you to curl up and unwind. It's also another lazy person's approach to storing blanket, no need to fold them on keep them neat just throw them in and pull it out when it's time to get cozy. I know that some people don't love to have a bunch of pillows on their couch, but do like a pillow to lay down when relaxing (my dad). Keeping pillows in a basket keeps them stored within reach when its time to spread out on the couch and rest. We have a basket with a large fluffy blanket in our bedroom because I get cold at night while my husband does not. So if I wake up in the middle of the night a little chilly I just reach over and pull out the blanket, it's very convenient. Here are three that I think would fit the bill, one, two and three.
Image Via: West Elm

Baskets for Serving
My mother is a pro at using baskets for serving. She has many baskets that are well made and look beautiful accenting food. I always forget to use a basket when I'm serving my guests and find my self regretting not having pulled out a basket to serve something simple like bread. Bread practically belongs in a basket. The look of a basket on a dining table adds texture in a world on porcelain and color in a world that is most often white... most of us have white plates. My mom has basket liners so that she can serve things like fruit and not ruin her baskets. It's an feeling of sharing and love passing a basket around the table. Here are some I am currently eyeing for my next dinner party; one, two and three.